List of the 100 largest population centres in Canada

A population centre, in the context of a Canadian census, is a populated place, or a cluster of interrelated populated places, which meets the demographic characteristics of an urban area, having a population of at least 1,000 people and a population density of no fewer than 400 people per square km2.[1]

Statistics Canada listed 944 population centres in its 2011 census data; 513 of them, 54 per cent of all population centres in Canada, were located in Ontario or Quebec, the two most populous provinces.

Contents

History

The term "population centre" was chosen in order to better reflect the fact that urban vs. rural is not a strict division, but rather a continuum within which several distinct settlement patterns, and several competing interpretations of the distinction, may exist.[1] For example, a community may fit a strictly statistical definition of an urban area, but may not be commonly thought of as "urban" because it has a smaller population, or because it functions socially and economically as a suburb of another urban area rather than as a self-contained urban entity, or because it is geographically remote from other urban communities.

Accordingly, the new definition set out three distinct types of population centres: small (population 1,000 to 29,999), medium (population 30,000 to 99,999) and large (population 100,000 or greater).[1] Despite the change in terminology, however, the demographic definition of a population centre remains unchanged from that of an urban area: a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per square km2.

Characteristics

A population centre does not necessarily correspond to the boundaries of a municipality or of a census division. For example, a less densely populated area within a city's municipal boundaries may not be included as part of its population centre, while areas outside the city limits that directly continue a city's urban core population may be included.

1.
Ontario
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Ontario, one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, is located in east-central Canada. It is Canadas most populous province by a margin, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians. Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and it is home to the nations capital city, Ottawa, and the nations most populous city, Toronto. There is only about 1 km of land made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border. Ontario is sometimes divided into two regions, Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. The great majority of Ontarios population and arable land is located in the south, in contrast, the larger, northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and is heavily forested. The province is named after Lake Ontario, a thought to be derived from Ontarí, io, a Huron word meaning great lake, or possibly skanadario. Ontario has about 250,000 freshwater lakes, the province consists of three main geographical regions, The thinly populated Canadian Shield in the northwestern and central portions, which comprises over half the land area of Ontario. Although this area mostly does not support agriculture, it is rich in minerals and in part covered by the Central and Midwestern Canadian Shield forests, studded with lakes, Northern Ontario is subdivided into two sub-regions, Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario. The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the north and northeast, mainly swampy. Southern Ontario which is further sub-divided into four regions, Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Golden Horseshoe, the highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 metres above sea level located in Temagami, Northeastern Ontario. In the south, elevations of over 500 m are surpassed near Collingwood, above the Blue Mountains in the Dundalk Highlands, the Carolinian forest zone covers most of the southwestern region of the province. A well-known geographic feature is Niagara Falls, part of the Niagara Escarpment, the Saint Lawrence Seaway allows navigation to and from the Atlantic Ocean as far inland as Thunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario. Northern Ontario occupies roughly 87 percent of the area of the province. Point Pelee is a peninsula of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario that is the southernmost extent of Canadas mainland, Pelee Island and Middle Island in Lake Erie extend slightly farther. All are south of 42°N – slightly farther south than the border of California. The climate of Ontario varies by season and location, the effects of these major air masses on temperature and precipitation depend mainly on latitude, proximity to major bodies of water and to a small extent, terrain relief. In general, most of Ontarios climate is classified as humid continental, Ontario has three main climatic regions

2.
Quebec
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Quebec is the second-most populous province of Canada and the only one to have a predominantly French-speaking population, with French as the sole provincial official language. Quebec is Canadas largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division and it also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Quebec is Canadas second-most populous province, after Ontario, most inhabitants live in urban areas near the Saint Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, the capital. Approximately half of Quebec residents live in the Greater Montreal Area, the Nord-du-Québec region, occupying the northern half of the province, is sparsely populated and inhabited primarily by Aboriginal peoples. Even in central Quebec at comparatively southerly latitudes winters are severe in inland areas, Quebec independence debates have played a large role in the politics of the province. Parti Québécois governments held referendums on sovereignty in 1980 and 1995, in 2006, the House of Commons of Canada passed a symbolic motion recognizing the Québécois as a nation within a united Canada. These many industries have all contributed to helping Quebec become an economically influential province within Canada, early variations in the spelling of the name included Québecq and Kébec. French explorer Samuel de Champlain chose the name Québec in 1608 for the colonial outpost he would use as the seat for the French colony of New France. The province is sometimes referred to as La belle province, the Province of Quebec was founded in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 after the Treaty of Paris formally transferred the French colony of Canada to Britain after the Seven Years War. The proclamation restricted the province to an area along the banks of the Saint Lawrence River, the Treaty of Versailles ceded territories south of the Great Lakes to the United States. After the Constitutional Act of 1791, the territory was divided between Lower Canada and Upper Canada, with each being granted an elected legislative assembly, in 1840, these become Canada East and Canada West after the British Parliament unified Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada. This territory was redivided into the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario at Confederation in 1867, each became one of the first four provinces. In 1898, the Canadian Parliament passed the first Quebec Boundary Extension Act that expanded the provincial boundaries northward to include the lands of the aboriginal peoples. This was followed by the addition of the District of Ungava through the Quebec Boundaries Extension Act of 1912 that added the northernmost lands of the Inuit to create the modern Province of Quebec. In 1927, the border between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador was established by the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Located in the part of Canada, and part of Central Canada. Its topography is very different from one region to another due to the composition of the ground, the climate. The Saint Lawrence Lowland and the Canadian Shield are the two main regions, and are radically different

3.
Toronto
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Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. With a population of 2,731,571, it is the fourth most populous city in North America after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles. A global city, Toronto is a centre of business, finance, arts, and culture. Aboriginal peoples have inhabited the area now known as Toronto for thousands of years, the city itself is situated on the southern terminus of an ancient Aboriginal trail leading north to Lake Simcoe, used by the Wyandot, Iroquois, and the Mississauga. Permanent European settlement began in the 1790s, after the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase of 1787, the British established the town of York, and later designated it as the capital of Upper Canada. During the War of 1812, the town was the site of the Battle of York, York was renamed and incorporated as the city of Toronto in 1834, and became the capital of the province of Ontario during the Canadian Confederation in 1867. The city proper has since expanded past its original borders through amalgamation with surrounding municipalities at various times in its history to its current area of 630.2 km2. While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, Toronto is a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, and television production, and is home to the headquarters of Canadas major national broadcast networks and media outlets. Toronto is known for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. The name Toronto is likely derived from the Iroquois word tkaronto and this refers to the northern end of what is now Lake Simcoe, where the Huron had planted tree saplings to corral fish. A portage route from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron running through this point, in the 1660s, the Iroquois established two villages within what is today Toronto, Ganatsekwyagon on the banks of the Rouge River and Teiaiagonon the banks of the Humber River. By 1701, the Mississauga had displaced the Iroquois, who abandoned the Toronto area at the end of the Beaver Wars, French traders founded Fort Rouillé on the current Exhibition grounds in 1750, but abandoned it in 1759. During the American Revolutionary War, the region saw an influx of British settlers as United Empire Loyalists fled for the British-controlled lands north of Lake Ontario, the new province of Upper Canada was in the process of creation and needed a capital. Dorchester intended the location to be named Toronto, in 1793, Governor John Graves Simcoe established the town of York on the Toronto Purchase lands, instead naming it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Simcoe decided to move the Upper Canada capital from Newark to York, the York garrison was constructed at the entrance of the towns natural harbour, sheltered by a long sandbar peninsula. The towns settlement formed at the end of the harbour behind the peninsula, near the present-day intersection of Parliament Street. In 1813, as part of the War of 1812, the Battle of York ended in the towns capture, the surrender of the town was negotiated by John Strachan. US soldiers destroyed much of the garrison and set fire to the parliament buildings during their five-day occupation, the sacking of York was a primary motivation for the Burning of Washington by British troops later in the war

4.
Regional Municipality of York
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The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. It replaced the former York County in 1971, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the regional government is headquartered in Newmarket. The 2011 census population was 1,032,524, surpassing the mark of one million. At the Canada 2011 Census,53,989 residents inhabited rural areas in the municipality,67,551 resided in urban areas. Its growth rate of 15. 7% from 2006 to 2011 was the sixth highest amongst all census divisions in Canada, and the Government of Ontario expects its population to surpass 1.5 million residents by 2031. At a meeting in Richmond Hill on 6 May 1970, officials representing the municipalities of York County approved plans for the creation of a government entity to replace York County. The plan had been presented in 1969 by Darcy McKeough, the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Regional Municipality of York was created by Act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1970, which took effect on January 1,1971. The eastern boundary of the new town of Markham was defined to be at Yonge Street, the townships of Georgina, North Gwillimbury, and Sutton were merged into the township of Georgina, and the East Gwillimbury neighbourhood of East Gwillimbury Heights was merged into Newmarket. The boundary between Aurora and Newmarket was defined to be St. Johns Sideroad, and Newmarkets northern boundary was defined to be Green Lane. The growth centres were each restricted to grow to a population of 25,000 by 2000. The municipal realignment merged 40% of East Gwillimburys population into Newmarket, the council of East Gwillimbury voted to amalgamate with Newmarket, but Newmarket council opposed the amalgamation. In the plan presented by McKeough, the councils of the towns of Newmarket, the internal municipal realignments resulted in some politicians residing in a new municipality from that which they represented at the time of realignment. York Region covers 1,762 square kilometres from Lake Simcoe in the north to the city of Toronto in the south and its eastern border is shared with Durham Region, to the west is Peel Region, and Simcoe County is to the northwest. A detailed map of the region showing its major roads, communities, York Regions landscape includes farmlands, wetlands and kettle lakes, the Oak Ridges Moraine and over 2,070 hectares of regional forest, in addition to the built-up areas of its municipalities. York Region is situated on a continental climate with warm summers. The region is governed by a known as York Regional Council. Wayne Emmerson, a mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville, was elected to this office in December,2014. In October 2008, the York Regional Municipality was named one of Greater Torontos Top Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc, the economy of York Region is diverse

5.
Oakville, Ontario
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Oakville is a suburban town in southern Ontario, located in Halton Region on Lake Ontario, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area, one of the most densely-populated areas of Canada. The 2016 census reported a population of 193,832, in 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road. In 1807, British immigrants settled the area surrounding Dundas Street as well as on the shore of Lake Ontario, in 1820, the Crown bought the area surrounding the waterways. The area around the creeks,960 acres, ceded to the Crown by the Mississaugas, was auctioned off to William Chisholm in 1827 and he left the development of the area to his son, Robert Kerr Chisholm and his brother-in-law, Merrick Thomas. Chisholm also formed shipbuilding business in Oakville Navy Street and Sixteen Mile Creek and lasted until 1842, Oakvilles first industries included shipbuilding, timber shipment, and wheat farming. In the 1850s, there was a recession and the foundry. Basket-making became an industry in the town, and the Grand Trunk Railway was built through it. In 1962 the town of Oakville merged with its villages to become the new Town of Oakville. In 1973, the restructuring of Halton County into Halton Region brought the northern border southwards to just north of the future Highway 407, Oakvilles Planning Department divides the town into communities. These divisions have little to do with politics and are based on traditional neighbourhoods, According to the 2016 Canadian Census, Oakville had 193,832 residents. This represents a 6. 2% increase since the 2011 Census, According to the 2006 census, Oakville had a younger population than Canada as a whole. Minors totalled 28.1 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 11.7 percent and this compares with the Canadian average of 24.4 percent and 13.7 percent. As of 2006,81. 2% of the population was white. Other groups include South Asian,6. 0%, Chinese,3. 2%, black,2. 1%, polish is the native language for 1. 5% of the population, followed by Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. 79. 4% of residents stated their religion as Christian, almost evenly split between Roman Catholics and Protestants, non-Christian religions include Islam,2. 0%, Hinduism,1. 3%, Sikhism,1. 1%, and Judaism,0. 7%. The median household income is $118,671, with an average value of $1,118,572. Like much of Southern Ontario, Oakville has a Humid Continental Climate with cold, Oakville has a long history of sporting. The Oakville Blue Devils of Canadian Soccer League is a professional soccer team

6.
Mississauga
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Mississauga /ˌmɪsɪˈsɒɡə/ is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Situated in Southern Ontario, it lies on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel and it is part of the Greater Toronto Area, to the west of Toronto. The city has a population of 721,599 as of the Canada 2016 Census, a suburb of Toronto, Mississaugas growth is attributed to its proximity to that city. It is the largest suburb in Anglo-America by population, in recent decades, the city has attracted a multicultural population and has plans for developing its downtown core. Residents of the city are called Mississaugans or Saugans, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canadas busiest airport, is located in the city, and it is the location of many major corporate headquarters for Canada. At the time of the arrival of the Europeans in the 1600s, One of the First Nations groups the French traders found around the Credit River area were the Algonquian Mississaugas, a tribe originally from the Georgian Bay area. The name Mississauga comes from the Anishinaabe word Misi-zaagiing, meaning Great River-mouth, by 1700 the Mississaugas had driven away the Iroquois, yet during the Beaver Wars they played a neutral or post-emptive role. Toronto Township, consisting of most of present-day Mississauga, was formed on 2 August 1805 when officials from York purchased 84,000 acres of land from the Mississaugas. In January 2010, the Mississaugas and the government settled a land claim, in which the band of aboriginal people received $145,000,000, as just compensation for their land. The original villages settled included, Lakeview, Clarkson, Cooksville, Dixie, Erindale, Lorne Park, Port Credit, Sheridan and this region would become known as Toronto Township. Part of northeast Mississauga, including the Airport lands and Malton were part of Toronto Gore Township, a group of settlers from New York City arrived in the 1830s. The government wanted to compensate the Loyalists for property lost in the colonies, in 1820, the government purchased additional land from the Mississaugas. Additional settlements were established, including, Barbertown, Britannia, Burnhamthorpe, Derry West, Elmbank, Malton, Meadowvale Village, Mount Charles, european-Canadian growth led to the eventual displacement of the Mississaugas. In 1847, the government relocated them to a reserve in the Grand River Valley, in 1873, in light of the continued growth seen in this area much as a result of the many railway lines passing through the township which spurred on industry. The Toronto Township Council was formed to oversee the affairs of the villages that were unincorporated at that time. The Councils responsibilities included road maintenance, and the constitution of a police force, in the 1920s, cottages were constructed along the shores of Lake Ontario as weekend getaway houses for city dwellers. 17 years later in 1937,1,410.8 acres of land was sold to build the Malton Airport and it became Canadas busiest airport which also put the end to the community of Elmbank. The first prototypical suburban developments occurred around the time, in the area south of the Dixie Road/QEW interchange

7.
Brampton
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Brampton is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is a city in the Greater Toronto Area and the seat of Peel Region. The city has a population of 593,638 as of the Canada 2016 Census, Brampton is Canadas ninth-most populous municipality and the third most populous city in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region, behind Toronto and Mississauga. Brampton was incorporated as a village in 1853, taking its name from the town of Brampton, in Cumbria. The city was known as The Flower Town of Canada. Prior to the 1800s, all business in Chinguacousy Township took place at Martin Salisburys tavern. One mile distant at the corner of Main and Queen streets, now the centre of Brampton. At the time, the area was referred to as Buffys Corners, by 1834, John Elliott laid out the area in lots for sale, calling it Brampton, which was soon adopted by others. In 1853, an agricultural fair was set up by the newly initiated County Agricultural Society of the County of Peel. Grains, produce, roots, and dairy products were up for sale, horses and cattle, along with other lesser livestock, were also sold at market. This agricultural fair eventually became the modern Brampton Fall Fair, in that same year Brampton was incorporated as a village. By 1869, Brampton, with a population of 1800, was the county town of Peel in the Township of Chinguacousy and it was a Station of the Grand Trunk Railway. The County buildings were erected c.1869 of freestone and white brick, a federal grant allowed the village to found its first public library in 1887, which included 360 volumes from the Mechanics Institute. The Carnegie libraries were built on the basis of coming up with matching funds. A group of farmers in Brampton had trouble getting insurance from city-based companies. After several meetings in Clairville Hall, they decided to found the County of Peel Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company, in 1955, when the company moved to its third and current location,103 Queen Street West, it took the new name of Peel Mutual Insurance Company. It reigns as the company in modern Brampton. Harmsworth Decorating Centre was established in 1890, as Harmsworth and Son, the current location was purchased on September 1,1904, after a fire destroyed their original store

8.
Markham, Ontario
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Markham is a city in the Regional Municipality of York within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. Markhams population in 2015 was estimated at 342,000 through The Region of York population census data monitoring, the city is the fourth-most populous community within the Greater Toronto Area after Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton and is the York regions most populous municipality. Markham is also Canadas 16th largest city, Markham changed its status from town to city on July 1,2012. The city gained its name from the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, who named the area after his friend, William Markham, the Archbishop of York from 1776 to 1807. The first European settlement in Markham occurred when William Berczy, a German artist and developer, while they planned to settle in New York, disputes over finances and land tenure led Berczy to negotiate with Simcoe for 64,000 acres in Markham Township in 1794. Through much of Markhams history the community has been described as an agricultural community, a turn towards a more urbanized community within the township began after World War II when the township began to feel the effects of urban encroachment from Toronto. The completion of Highway 404 during the mid-1970s accelerated urban development in Markham, as of 2013 tertiary industry mainly drives Markham. As of 2010 business services employed the largest proportion of workers in Markham – nearly 22% of its labour force, the city also has over 1,100 technology and life-sciences companies, with IBM as the citys largest employer. Each family was granted 200 acres of land, however the lack of roads in the region led many to settle in York, German Mills later became a ghost town. Between 1803 and 1812, another attempt at settling the region was made, the largest group of settlers were Pennsylvania Dutch, most of whom were Mennonites. These highly skilled craftsmen and knowledgeable farmers settled the region and founded Reesorville, in 1825, Reesorville was renamed to Markham having taken the name of the unincorporated village. By 1830, a number of Irish, Scottish and English families began immigrating to Upper Canada. Markhams early years blended the rigours of the frontier with the development of agriculture-based industries, the many rivers and streams in the township soon supported water-powered saw and gristmills and later wooden mills. With improved transportation routes, such as the construction of Yonge Street in the 1800s, in 1842 the township population was 5,698,29,005 acres were under cultivation, and the township had eleven gristmills and twenty-four sawmills. By 1850, the first form of structured municipal government formed in Markham, by 1857, most of the township had been cleared of timber and was under cultivation. Villages like Thornhill, Unionville, and Markham greatly expanded, in 1851 Markham Village was a considerable village, containing between eight and nine hundred inhabitants, pleasantly situated on the Rouge River. A woollen factory, oatmeal mill, barley mill, and distillery, foundry, a temperance hall and four churches. In 1972, Markham was incorporated as a town, as its population skyrocketed due to urban sprawl from Toronto, in 1976, Markhams population was approximately 56,000

9.
Richmond Hill, Ontario
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Richmond Hill is a town in south-central York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Regions third most populous municipality and it is also Canadas most populous town. Richmond Hill has in recent years seen a huge population upsurge and it is an affluent town with a large number of people employed in business, finance, industry and healthcare. The town is home to the world-renowned David Dunlap Observatory telescope, at one time the second largest telescope in the world, and still the largest in Canada. The town grew to encompass the communities of Gormley, Dollar, Langstaff, Carrville, Headford, Elgin Mills, Jefferson, Bond Lake, Temperanceville, Lake Wilcox, Oak Ridges and Richvale. Policing was taken over by the York Regional Police, but fire protection remained with Richmond Hill, having hired its first full-time employee in 1967, it had fourteen full-time employees by 1971. Yonge Street through Richmond Hill expanded from two lanes to four in 1971, relieving congestion on what was known as Ontarios worst stretch of highway, the Richmond Hill Dynes Jewellers softball team was the 1972 Softball World Champions. The Royal Canadian Air Farce was recorded at the Curtain Club Theater in Richmond Hill for its first 5 seasons on radio, the Air Farce returned for an anniversary recording in the 1990s. June 27 was officially declared Russell Lynett Day, named after the towns clerk,1973 also saw the sale of the last of the original rose-growing greenhouses in Richmond Hill. Development had led to increasing property taxes and the H. J. Mills greenhouses relocated to Bayview Avenue, the site of the greenhouses was developed as a subdivision. The fast-growing town set aside significant areas for parks, with five new parks dedicated in 1973, the Richmond Hill Historical Society was founded in 1973. The society was dedicated to preserving the history of Richmond Hill and their first action was to restore a 150-year-old house, known as the Burr House. As the 1970s went on, the growth of Richmond Hill remained large. In 1976, home prices in Richmond Hill were among the highest in Canada, by this time, the town council was split over whether to keep expanding rapidly. The deadlock over a fifty-five house subdivision named Springmills Estate lead to one saying that it was not the reform council it was dubbed. Other housing projects faced similar problems as councilors debated many things, including the need for housing and the encroachment of homes into the farmland. GO train service was extended to Richmond Hill in 1978, officially opened on April 29,1978 by Bill Davis, growth in Richmond Hill slowed towards the end of the 1970s, with M. L. McConaghy Public School closing in 1979 due to dropping enrollment, at the same time, Richmond Hill began to make official plans for future land development

10.
Newmarket, Ontario
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Newmarket is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, many Newmarket residents commute to Toronto, located south of the town. In 2013, MoneySense magazine ranked Newmarket 10th out of 200 cities in Canada, in 2017, Amazon Canada ranked Newmarket as number 20 of the top 100 most romantic cities in Canada. Newmarkets geographical coordinates are 44. 05°N,79. 46°W and it has an area of 38.33 km². The town is bounded on the south by Aurora, on the west by King, on the north by East Gwillimbury, the main river in Newmarket is the East Holland River, and all other streams in the town are tributaries thereto. Furthermore, the level in the reach of the East Holland north of Davis Drive is controlled from an unfinished Newmarket Canal lock. The land is characterized mainly by deposits from the last ice age. The town is mainly by sand and gravel, ground by the icesheets that covered the area until about 10,000 years ago. No outcrops are to be anywhere in Newmarket, so deep are the glacial deposits. Newmarket has a continental climate with four distinct seasons featuring cold, somewhat snowy winters and warm. Precipitation is moderate and consistent in all seasons, although summers are a bit wetter than winter due to the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, Newmarkets location on the Holland River long ago made the area a natural route of travel between Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe. A more used route ran down the branch of the Holland River, over the moraine. In 1793, John Graves Simcoe travelled the trail, northward along the route to the west. In June,1800, Timothy Rogers, a Quaker from Vermont, some of the United States Quakers were interested in moving northward, disturbed by the violence they were expected to take part in during the American Revolution. In 1801 Rogers returned along with several Quaker families who had left their homes in Vermont, by the Christmas of 1801, Joseph Hill had constructed a mill on the Holland River, damming it to produce a mill pond that is now known as Fairy Lake. The town of Upper Yonge Street sprouted up around the mill, which explains why its primary downtown area was centred on the Holland River, Hill also built a tannery just to the north of the mill, and the first store and house, as well as additional mills. By 1802, Elisha Beman had begun to establish businesses and buy land in Newmarket, a mill was first and other businesses soon followed. The town continued to grow through the early 19th century, along with the formation of Aurora and Holland Landing, Newmarket played a central role in the Rebellion of 1837

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